Vaidyeswara Temple is a 12th century shrine, situated at
Talakadu, in
Mysore District of
Karnataka. The presiding deity is
Lord Shiva in the form of Vaidyeswara or the lord of healing.
According to local populace, a sage named Somadatta and his disciples, while doing penance on the banks of the Kaveri River, were killed by wild elephants before they could propitiate Lord Shiva. Later, they were reborn as elephants in the same forest. Lord Shiva then took the form of Shivling and got buried beneath a silk cotton tree. These elephants would bathe in the Kaveri and offer lotuses at the foot of the tree every morning. Curious, two hunters named Tala and Kada tried to cut down the tree, but to their surprise the tree began to bleed. On the instruction of a voice, they dressed up the tree with leaves and fruits of the same tree. Then the blood turned to milk and the hunters and elephants drank the milk and became immortal.
Later, Vaidyeswara Temple was built around the Shivling and the place came to be known as Talakadu after the hunters. Built in the Dravidian style, the temple is believed to have been erected during the Vijayanagar period. Hoysala features are also evident in the temple. The entrance is graced with colossal Dwarapalakas. The beautifully sculpted Navaranga (the central pillared hall) add to the splendor of the temple.
The highlight is Panchalingam or five lingams of Vaidyeswara, Arkeshwara, Vasukishwara, Saikateshwara and Mallikarjuna. Panchalingam represent the five faces of Lord Shiva. Panchalingam Darshan, a one day pilgrimage, is very popular among the devotees.
